Ayurveda Living

Yoga is not Ayurveda and vice versa but  the two sister sciences are indissociable.  Both are of Vedic heritage and cannot be de-indianised.  They may adapt and change in the export process that we call evolutionary. 

While yoga is the science of self-realization, Ayurveda is the science of self-healing.  Yoga – in its original and strict definition – is geared to moksha (self-realization) and is the province of  yogis.  Ayurveda encompasses all goals of life – kama, artha, dharma and moksha – and is a science of life for boghis (ordinary people) who are engaged in maya, the world of illusion.  Bhogis get married, have sex and reproduced, etc. 

Prabhupada, founder of Hare Krishna movement, wrote that sexual attraction is the strongest link to maya.  Real yogis take sannyas,  withdraw from the senses, live in kutir and meditate or engage in a life of total service to humanity. Householders have to take care of their progeny.

Excesses of maya may lead to diseases and this is when yoga is called to the rescue.  According to Ayurveda, health is when there is harmony in body, mind and spirit.  Yoga suggests techniques and methods to bring equilibrium while Ayurveda supplies treatments and teachings about remedies and lifestyles.  Yoga takes care of the essence of the human being while Ayurveda is concerned about the existence of the individual.

Sometimes newcomers to Ayurveda and yoga would like to take away their Vedic roots, de-iindianized them and make them material sciences.  Sooner than later, they familiarize with deities and rituals which at first seem so foreign.